In 2008 after the Premier League's first match between two teams with no shirt sponsor (West Ham v West Brom) I wondered if shirts could be used as a gateway to content, suggesting that QR codes could be displayed on shirts and club merchandise and linked to ever changing content. This was a bit fantastical at the time, but just 3 years later a top flight club are being sponsored by a technology platform.

The Autonomy / Aurasma sponsorship of Tottenham Hotspur may not see shirts being used as a gateway to content, but will see Spurs content becoming more innovative and interactive - particularly on mobile devices.

The announcement of the Autonomy / Aurasma Tottenham Hotspur shirt sponsorship on the Spurs website reveals:

'Aurasma is powered by pattern recognition technology using some of the most advanced systems in the world to bring the physical and virtual worlds together for the first time on mobile devices.

Daniel Levy, Chairman, Tottenham Hotspur, said: "We are pleased to be supporting Autonomy and its revolutionary Aurasma platform. Autonomy continues to push the boundaries of new technology and with Aurasma we are seeing the future of augmented reality and mobile technology."

Fans can look forward to future developments, including bringing Tottenham Hotspur content to life with interactive features using Aurasma.'

Seems a long way from the traditional type of shirt sponsor and shows how quickly Augmented Reality is developing - from niche to mainstream in just a few years. It will be interesting to see what effect this Autonomy / Spurs partnership has on forthcoming Spurs digital content.